St. Landry democrat., 1887-11-26

hefall he state, that 10 darker shadow conId
! settle between her aud ilrr none for yrocraaz
! lhaL no gionhlec night Coultt CoTne, 10 amt
o'ie tla DAY i!gHt OF tie future, than to write
DOWN in her hi5t Orv a CASE Of inrra.ftt,ta
pdser luan words Can describe
THE EAMH or NICHOLS
| is woven into the fiber OF tho history ~
Louisiana, ana his HlOUd IS Il3iusitu WIN the
blood OF heE s0us on Ine Bate fields OF EIr
%lhla; another page of cur history tells 0f
a day amidst the darkness Of rec0D.rrilr-
| tioh Nnch ne Ie0 Us Into TIE freedom We now
| ENJOY.
NOT only was he Instrumental in doing
! TINS, nnt men his tenure ceaaed 1aa gov
! crnment. which when he look IL nm v,as
| rotten III all lib departments ana srt,nK1D
Tue fOslrliS or honest Men. was as nure and
ctetn as snow. Look at the legislation for
! 1877 and 1878, which
| Put THAT GoFERNMENT INTO OPERATION.
The best proof OF its nse.It Is the fact
| that IL Stands. II d great pavt az the law Of
! the state to-day. Il IS true tlcIe were things
the legislature did not DO because there were
| constitutional restrictions in the way.
"A o!sIHgG!shed gentleman SAID at Mon
roe: w Ell, You claim TOO much for Governor
| Nichols. You don't give aqy credit 70 anv
| pody cife and n6 proceeded 10 raise an Issue
III TeSard 10 the way the election Was carried
! III 1877.
MS Is false issue. The honor which We
altrlbuto to Governor Nichols 10 not for car
iS4hg the election, but for the wisdom and
sAGACiTY OF THE LEADERsHIr
under when We won the fruits Of the cleo
tloh. D!d we not carry the elections Of 1869.
| or l612 and 1874! But cid We obtain the
l"uft6 or these elections
'ttrtallIV 1t Is not pretended that We ear
I!eo inc election any more in 1877 than III
lhe previous years. The Democrat atsCeey-
ecuilFe coInulittee or the committee Of regis
Lfdtl0n OF That committee IL 4e1T actually re-
| turned a majority III favor OF the E9pu5-
| itcdns on Joint ballot in the general assembly
| III other WOrta, when Governor Nichols
| came 10 put his hand on the helm OF state III
1871 We were ID worse condition than in
| any year since the war How he led us with
! wisd0L, sdgaclty aad trTuness it needs nor
| Tor Inc 10 say to the men OF this state The
! discussion OF the question as to how the
| the Issue.
Another distinguished gentleman VIII,
| SPOKE at Monroe, ana d state officer said in
! substance, III is the results OF the election
winch We are discussing: vow ara CLAIMING
| an the credit or those results and trying 10
beuttle everybody else He then proceed
cd TO contend that he had obtained these re-
suits by something
WHICH Wa, DONE IN WASHINGTON
'Ihe gentleman was mistaken insofar az
am concerned. have never claimed and
90 not now claim any credit for Governor
NICHOLS 10 Tue Qetriment OF any other man,
How could J do bo9 We're not tbs members
OF the general assembly OF 1877 my friends
and colleagues! Do not recpLiecJ the tire
less labor OF Robertson Of ST. LaDtry, the
zeal OF Boatner Of Ouachi!a, OF SLuDOs, Of
George, Of GoOGe. Of McGee and OF Pipes of
Et!lcldna-luueeQ OF all the different mem
beers OF that general assembly! But in order
TO show you the emptiness OF the Issue at
tenptedsto be thus raised, allow ne 20 read
you what was SAID by me at the Zachary
meeting. repeat 1t again:
The gentleman al Monroe said in sub
stance: You arc taking away the credit
que the people. FeiloW-ctizens, when the
nina Is wrong and cannot meet the issue II
lnsenslbly attempts to create q false cue
upon winch TO place the controversy.
This assertion that We are
CLAIMING ALL THE CREDIT
OF everything done in 1876, for Governor
Nichols, Is result of that mental state, uu-
CONSCIOUS 1t may be, but nevertheless exist.
ing.
Let me read, as [ first proposed to do,
from tie speech made by me at the opening
of the canvass. and then tell me If | am Eou
right IN saying Ihls-here Is what was said
"'Feliow- c!tizeneIn the sketch [ have
given of the events of 1877, my object has
peen, Wnlie giving due credit to Governor
Nichols, not to deprive any other man of
the credit which Is justly his due. He would
resent any attempt to cIothe him with yir-
tue which he mad not. or to attribute TO him
actions which he did not perform. We
know. OF course, that our success was
brought about, not alone by Governor
Nlcholls' leadership, but first and foremost
BY the fidelity. the devotion, and
THE COURAGE OF OUR PEOPLE,
who gave their time, their counsel and their
money so freely to the good cause. We
know that 1t WAS largely contributed TO by
Gil The other executive officers of all the
members Of the general assembly, by
the judges, and by the gentlemen al WASH
lngton who worked so assiduously: Gibson,
Burke, Ellis, Levy, and all the delegation.
All! yes, we know 1t was equally due to the
brave men and their leaders, who held Them
selves ready for auy struggle
Now I say when in the beginning OF the
campaign we thus disclalmed any credit for
Governor Nichols for the work Of others, it
is futile TO attempt TO say that We have
claimed credit where IT was notdue.
I INVOKE AT YOUR HANDS
a deliberate consideration OF the questions
which have been discussed, and ASK you TO
consider them reasonably and d1spassion-
ately and with love of country. If you do
so. lG seems to me there can be put one con-
cluslOn."